After having taken a shower and slept most of the day away, Ken awoke early in the morning. The moon was shining brightly through his window. It cast a dark glow over everything in the relatively small room. He sat up and looked out the window and at the moon. With a rub of his eyes, he got up and walked into the bathroom. Once he had done his business, he returned to the main room.

He laid back onto the bed and closed his eyes. Sleep seemed to evade him, though. No matter how he tossed or turned he wasn't able to fall back asleep. He sighed at himself and sat up. Looking out the window and up at the moon, the human started to think.

There was nothing that he remembered of his homeworld, save for his name. Even that was hard to come up with and took some actual thinking. Other than that, there was nothing. For the past three months or so he had aimlessly wandered, searching for his purpose for being in this world. Though while doing this, he had tried to occupy himself. Ken had been working actual jobs here and there. The money wasn't terrible but it also wasn't enough to sustain him for very long.

His street magic garnered a few bits here and there, but most just passed him by anymore. Even though he was widely accepted in Ponyville they would actively avoid him. There was only a handful that acknowledged his existence and most of them were either royalty or close to it.

"Fuckin' A..." He said to himself. "The hell am I here for?" He turned away from the window to look down at the bedsheets on the bed. They were the same color as Twilight's fur, with her cutie mark folded up around his legs. He imagined that there was one in all of the guest rooms in the palace. The blanket was super comfy and warm, especially since it was a rather cold month of the year.

With a shake of his head, Ken tossed the violet piece of cloth aside. With a grunt, he got off of the bed and walked out of the room. He wanted to go back to sleep. No point in forcing himself to lay down and sleep when his body was awake. Ken took a look at the clock before walking out of the room. Almost dawn.

Before long, he had made his way out of the castle and out into the town. He didn't understand why it was he liked to watch the sunrise in the morning. It seemed to calm him and help him through his day. Even on his bad days, it made them bearable. He had found a hill near the edge of town that gave a rather good view of the sunrise. With said sunrise came warmth and light that enveloped him.

Once again, Ken lost himself in his thoughts. His mind whirled with anticipation about his journey for this morning. It wasn't his first hike into the Everfree Forest to visit the zebra. This particular time had his every hair on end. He swirled as a sense of deja vu washed over him. He had done this before. He had been nervous about taking a journey over a magic deck of cards. Never before in his time in Equestria had he experienced it.

A bright light caught his eye. His eyes slammed shut as the sun broke over the horizon. After blinking away the burned image of the sun from his eyes, Ken watched as the sun rose in the sky. He breathed a sigh as the rays pierced his skin and began warming his body.

When the sun finally stopped moving, the human stepped away from the morning sun and began walking towards the edge of the Everfree Forest. It was better to make it an early trip rather than later in the day. He hated walking during the night. Something about it made him nervous. It was as if, when he stood under the moonlight, he was being watched by a thousand eyes. Ken shook the thought from his head as he faced the Forest before him. With no hesitation, he stepped into the throng of trees and branches.

The walk to Zecora's wasn't long or eventful. The occasional Timberwolf passed him by, either chasing prey or marking territory. One group had stopped to look at him but seemed to ignore him. He found it odd that they had done this since Timberwolves were known for their ferocity and hostile attitude towards anypony and everypony.

He came to Zecora's hut after a few minutes of walking through the wooded area. A couple of knocks on the door and the zebra came to greet him. She had told him she was an early riser despite the odd times for the sun rising in her homeland. Something that had taken some time to get used to.

"Ah, I have been expecting you. And again in the early morning, too." She said in her familiar rhyming. "You are here for the cards, yes? They have been quite the pest I must confess." Ken raised an eyebrow at this. He had never before heard cards be referred to as a pest.

"Yeah, I'm here for the cards. May I see them?" He asked her. She nodded to him and led him into the back of the hut behind a curtain. He had to duck down to get under the doorframe. The next room was full of herbs, pots of flowers, and interesting knick-knacks.

Zecora walked over to a small box on one of the shelves. She pulled it off the shelf and opened it but didn't pull the contents out. She brought it over to him and he looked down.

Inside the small ornate box was what looked like a full deck of cards with the faces turned up towards him. The top card was the black joker. The J in the corner of the card was jet black and the design in the middle was different from what he normally saw. It usually was a double-sided jester clad in black there. On this one, what looked like a reaper floated, scythe in hand. Its' skull shown through the tattered cloak it wore.

Ken's brow furrowed at the cards in front of him. In the back of his mind, they were extremely familiar to him. He put this aside and reached into the box and took the cards. As soon as he did, a surge of electricity that felt as if it could power an entire city coursed through his body. He cried out in agony and dropped to his knees.

Zecora watched as her body went rigid while the man writhed. For her, nothing was happening to him. He still held the cards in his hand, yet he had cried out when he did. After a few moments of listening to him, her mind kicked back into gear and she rushed over to him. She placed a hoof on his arm and immediately pulled back. His skin was burning hot.

After a few minutes of convulsions, he finally settled down enough to think correctly. He could hardly process what just happened to him besides he had been struck by lightning multiple times. His mind was still hazy from the experience, spinning and trying to gain control.

"What...the fuck...just happened...?" He asked more to himself than to anyone else. Zecora stood there stunned into silence with wide eyes. Ken blinked and looked down at the cards. What he had just felt should have killed him yet his heart was still beating, he could hear himself speak, and know his own thoughts.

"That I do not know. There was nothing about this show. I certainly did not expect this today. But most importantly, are you okay?" Zecora asked him, giving him a once over. He looked over at the zebra and gave her a small nod then looked down at the cards in his hand.

Once he was sure of his hands, he fanned the cards to give them a look. As he looked at them there were no cards out of place. Spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds. Of course, the four jokers as well. Ken did a double-take on this. There were supposed to be two jokers per deck. Yet this deck had an extra two.

There was a blue joker that depicted a serpent wrapping its body around a staff. The staff held a golden gem in its' focal point and the serpent's head rested just above it. He found this depiction extremely familiar.

The last joker, white in color, gave him a strange sense of security. The illustration showed a beautiful woman wearing a red and white robe. Her eyes were closed and she bore a smile on her face. The sun beamed behind her, lighting the card. Everything about the card made him feel good.

Ken looked at the last joker. On it was what seemed to be a demon of some sort. Fire flung from its hands as it hovered with its bird-like wings. Small horns topped the head of the demon and jet black hair flowed down its face. It looked nothing like what was depicted in paintings in Canterlot.

Zecora tapped him on the shoulder, visibly wincing as she did, and gave him a questioning look. He turned from the cards and folded them neatly back into a stack.

"There are more cards here than there should be." He said simply. "I don't know why, but there are..."

Author's Note

Alright, so I know I haven't really written anything in a while, and the last story that I posted was canceled due to a lack of inspiration. While I cannot guarantee that this story will not be the same, I will be trying to write more of it as I get the ideas.

I have plans for this story and I hope that it goes smooth when it comes to ideas. I seem to not be able to finish the stories that I start, so that doesn't help.

Anywho, constructive criticism is welcome and I will answer any questions that you have that I can without spoiling anything.

May inspiration light your path,
Leon